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December 2016

12/31/2016

The music is on, playing all day. Listening to David Bowie, Leon Russell, Prince, Sharon Jones, just to name a few. Reflecting on 2016, a wonderful year for me. It's hard to express how grateful I am for the beautiful people in my life. There are also the beautiful places. This farm is an oasis, about to be surrounded by 6,000 new homes. I can walk for hours without seeing anyone or them seeing me. Today I took the long walk, the reboot walk. The quite walk to discover who lives there. Lately we have been inundated with coyotes, they hide well.

And then there is the studio space. I have grown in this place and learned that I can create art that people want. In that space I am at peace.

If 2017 goes anything like 2016, I will be satisfied. May all of you keep your health, have a positive outlook, and do the things that you have wanted to do.

I leave you with Durga from the Rubin Museum, she is the Hindu Goddess of Motherhood. Good over evil is her battle. She is the Invincible One that preserves moral order. She destroys selfishness, jealousy, prejudice, hatred, and ego. It's what 2017 needs.

12/23/2016

I have been working at Merrifield Garden Center almost everyday for the holiday season. It's been hard to get much else done. That time will soon be over, I am a seasonal employee, returning in spring. All of my jobs are seasonal, so winter is a love-hate thing. I love the free time, using it for full time art. The lack of a regular paycheck is challenging though.

But I did manage to get some art work done. I actually have 45 items for sale at Art A La Carte in Occoquan, Va. The January theme is blue, so I finished 2 small pieces with that in mind. One of the pieces is a copy of art work by Michael deMeng, call it a rip off, what ever. I have always wished I owned that particular piece. I do own 11 of his, I'm happy to support him and his incredible work. Interestingly enough, he address's the issue of stealing ideas, which he doesn't mind. It's a good read and here's a link. So I'm not afraid to fess up, and my piece is much simpler, as they tend to be. That is part of my assemblage style. So here is "Bella in Blue"

and here is his:

You see the conceptualization. I believe that Michael's is vastly better, but I am learning. Which brings me to the other blue piece, titled "The Farm Alarm". As individual items make themselves available, like the clock face, I am inspired to move forward. My father had a small clock collection and I know this enameled face well. Very well.

And then the potential for this beginning piece of assemblage. It's something I hope to show in stages as I work on it. This is really the raw beginning where the clay is on its second application. I hope to show it from the start to finished product. I will have time to record it.

I know exactly where I'm going with this. How it turns out will be interesting since it rarely turns out as it was planned. This one was sketched first, rather than assembled (with what's available) and then built. I can't wait to take it to completion.

Tomorrow I work at the gallery, Art A La Carte. It can be a very busy day, last minute shoppers, looking for something unique. Price points are good, products all handmade. Just sayin. We are open from 11 to 5, but I expect to stay later.

12/14/2016

Number 3 was delivered today, Krampus the third came together very nicely. Number 1 and 2 have gone to good homes, or shall we say, people that understand Krampus. This piece, along with the altered Christmas light bulbs, are at Art A La Carte, in Occoquan, Virginia.

And I am working on January items, doing the happy dance because they will be awesome! Blue is the theme for January at the gallery, just a little hint.

12/12/2016

The seasonal flowers of Christmas are few. Nothing like the countless options for Mother's Day or Easter. It boils down to forced flowers that are best grown in a greenhouse or those that require cool temperatures to be happy. With only one exception, the wonderful Christmas cactus that can be grown with ease.

Of the cool season growers, paperwhites become floppy when grown too warm, cyclamen thrive in 50 to 60 degree temperatures, a cold house by anyone's standards. Bottom line, it requires more than a green thumb to grow these well. The florist cyclamen is Cyclamen persicum. Numerous common names represent the same plant. Sowbread refers to wild boars eating the tubers. Persian violet is another moniker but poorly represents the plant since it's not from Persia but Turkey, Israel, and Greece. Nor is it related to violets, but a member of the primrose family. People prefer to use its botanical name, pronounced SY-cla-men or SIK-la-men. A tender tuber, hardy in some California locations, unable to tolerate frost. They are glorious in flower and leaf, charming and popular. It's only a matter of time before you are gifted or gifting one. I prefer to find fragrant varieties, something that elevates my desire to own one.

To grow them well I will offer a little story of success, from a grower of cyclamen. A greenhouse range, built in 1913, was located in Hamilton, Virginia. At the time it was built, the range was state of the art. Glass greenhouses radiated out from the main structure, called a head house (in layman's terms). Over the years the structure aged, glass cracked or broke completely. The structure became a drafty, cold place in winter, despite upgrades to the heating system. One of their most successful crops were cyclamen. To the point that they were considered the best in the United States. A multiple page spread in a popular greenhouse growers magazine recognized this and the grower attributed it to the flaws of the greenhouse, where it was always a bit chilly.

Advice runs the gamut when it comes to growing cyclamen. "When you receive the inevitable gift of Cyclamen persicum, switch it into a clay pot immediately and it will survive rather than sulk" says Tovah Martin in her book "The Unexpected Houseplant". Water them carefully say others, too much is worse than too little.

They are a bulb, with a cycle of growth that begins in fall and ends in late spring. To summer them over, let the potted bulb go dormant and lay the pot on its side to dry out. Keep it as cool as possible. With fall, the first signs of life will appear as small leaves coming from the tuber's center. Upright the pot and begin to water lightly. Remember to keep the plant shaded and cool. The flowering cycle is triggered by short days, a large part of why they are perfect for December. They are actually not difficult to grow if you have that chilly window ledge.

If you are fond of the plant but find it unsuccessful, consider Cyclamen hederifolium, or one of the hardy cyclamen. These grow from small, hardy tubers, and return year after year. Diminutive but tough and charming, with the same alternating patterns of variegation and flowers in August and September.

12/04/2016

The thoughts in this little two year old's head are usually on wheels, trucks, tractors, and things that roll. His outgoing big sister entertains him, talks for him, and generally introduces him to others. This is Quinnie, she says. He is quiet, studious, has time to think while she chatters on. For his second birthday there was a party. The theme was construction and heavy machinery.

The snacks were party themed. The water was served from a great big orange cooler. Construction hats and goggles were available for periods of heavy construction.

Everyone got in on the act.

And the finale?! A chocolate cake with a front end loader. Happy Birthday sweet Quinn.